Heineken is to launch an online TV series following the trials and tribulations of men dropped into bizarre situations, in a "social experiment" giving a nod to The Hangover film franchise.

The online series, Dropped, is part of the latest stage of Heineken's global multimillion-pound ad campaign which continues with a new TV ad, The Voyage.

Heineken described Dropped as a "social experiment", with members of the public encouraged to live outside their boundaries and cope with unusual experiences, like the protagonist in The Voyage TV commercials.

Participants will be dropped in remote locations with just flimsy supplies and directions, and have to make their way to a destination encountering "certain engineered situations", such as strange locals or possibly useful objects.

The idea appears to loosely resemble the madcap, unpredictable situations experienced by the "wolfpack" in the Hangover trilogy, crossed with Bear Grylls' point-to-point survival journeys.

Heineken is planning a string of Dropped shows, which will be filmed documentary-style charting the men's progress and will run as three episodes on a YouTube channel.

The first episode, which features a man who dislikes the cold dropped in the wastes of Alaska, will be available online from 3 June.

"We want to go further than inspiring men to be resourceful and open to the world," said the Heineken global communications director, Sandrine Huijgen. "We are giving a few of them the opportunity to go beyond the borders of their comfort zone. Dropped is a social experiment that will challenge the participant to display their true character and if they do, have a legendary travel experience."

Members of the public will be able to upload videos of their version of a "legendary take on an everyday journey" – which sounds a little bit like opening the can on a Jackass meets Channel 4's Rude Tube online portal – with a winner chosen to feature in their own Heineken Dropped adventure.

The aim of the new Voyage TV ad, which has been created by Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam, is to inspire Heineken drinkers to be travellers, not tourists.

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